[好好做個消費者] 大多數消費者只能根據個人好惡

　　全世界各式各樣的公司和持有不同政見的政府似乎都有這樣的一個主要目的:通過鼓勵大家進行更多的消費,把世界從經濟危機中拯救出來。也許真到了我們大家去考慮一下消費觀念和如何更好地去做一個消費者的時候了。我相信,如果我們能做一個更好的消費者,實際上對我們的社會還是有益處的。以下就是我的幾條簡單準則。
　　第一,要做一個細心的消費者。這意味著,如果對一件商品的安全性沒有檢查過,就絕不能買。不要輕易接受導購人員信誓旦旦的保證,也不要相信電視上體育明星滿面笑容的廣告。我們要看到商品標簽上標明該商品符合某種標準,這種標準是被嚴格設定的,并被某個負責的國家機構監(jiān)管才成。這條原則適用于所有商品,從衣服、玩具刀、食品,到人命關天的藥品。如果大多數消費者都采取這種“別給我說,給我看”的消費態(tài)度,商品的生產者就會意識到提高產品的安全標準有多么重要,而且這種改進的成本不能輕易地轉嫁到消費者身上。這樣一來,如果你的產品不安全,就沒有人去買,生產廠商很快就沒生意可做。其實,比起全球范圍內那些要嚴格遵守歐盟制定的標準的生產廠商而言,在中國,為購買居家用品的消費者改進產品質量,要容易得多。
　　第二,要做一個挑剔的消費者。貧窮的時候,我們總是喜歡挑剔。我們所賺到的每一分錢,都耗盡心血,因此,我們要珍惜錢。當我們有了更多的錢可以支配的時候,這種態(tài)度應該繼續(xù)保持下去。要買的東西越貴,我們就越要仔細檢查它是否有瑕疵。如果有人對一件T恤的要價是另一件的兩倍,我們就需要問問自己:這件T恤真的比另外一件要好兩倍?如果僅僅是好一點,那么,我們?yōu)槭裁催�要去浪費錢呢?如果所有消費者都持這種態(tài)度,那么,所有商品的質量在短時間內都會得到改進。全世界的市場總是在質量和價格之間搖擺。隨著消費者判斷能力的提高,商品的質量也會得到改進,使其與價格匹配。同時,生產廠家也會竭盡全力改進產品質量,以證明他們生產的商品還是“價有所值”的。為在國內銷售的產品改進質量,同時也會增加這些產品在國際市場上的競爭力。
　　第三,要做一個不好對付的消費者。作為消費者,我們堅持問“為什么?”為什么這件商品沒有不同顏色的呢?為什么沒有更多尺碼的呢?為什么有那么多余的可選功能而不是只有最基本的功能呢?如果有足夠多的消費者問這樣的問題,這種信息最終還是會傳到供應商的耳朵里去的。絕對沒任何理由讓我們去接受產品生產者設置的這些限制。如果他們真的相信消費者是上帝的話,他們就該做點什么。如果不做,他們的市場份額就會很快流失到另外一個能對消費者的要求做出反應的公司那里。
　　第四,做一個投訴的消費者。如果有什么東西給搞錯了或者達不到你的預期要求,請要投訴。不要向負責導購的姑娘投訴,要見經理才成。如果每個不滿意的顧客都能進行投訴,就會有更多的滿意顧客出現。在一些國家,包括中國,消費者碰到有問題或達不到標準的商品的時候,往往得不到足夠的保護支持。但是,每個顧客都長著一張嘴。因此,他們應該有效地利用自己的嘴巴去爭取自己的權利。經理們都不喜歡去面對怒火中燒的顧客。面對這樣的顧客,他們會顏面盡失。這并不意味著只是去投訴餐館里的飯菜質量(通常情況下,一有不滿,我們就會這么做),而且要去投訴洗手間里骯臟的設施和漫不經心的服務。如果大家不投訴,這些問題是永遠得不到改善的。進行投訴的消費者大軍代表著所有的消費者,投訴是我們最好的武器。
　　第五,做一個留心的消費者。商品在不斷地變化,但是市場卻沒什么不同。昨天的特價商品,變成了今天高價的、過時的、沒用的東西。在商品種類不斷變化的同時,我們更希望鼓勵商品的改良和創(chuàng)新。市場經濟取決于創(chuàng)造力,其他事物亦是如此。消費者不愿意去買陳貨,他們想要享有新事物帶來的愉悅,其他人亦是如此。在商品的定價上應該體現這一點。就拿手機來說吧,并不是所有的消費者都需要他們手機上的每一個功能,但是相反的,如果他們對上個月的一款手機感興趣的話,他們不希望支付上個月的價格。一點小小的市場調查就可以為我們省一大筆錢。
　　第六,做一個不為名牌所累的消費者。最近,經濟衰退在世界各國蔓延。其中,最顯著的特點之一,就是消費者已經清醒地認識到那些名牌實在不值那么多錢。那些之前買東西只看商標選名牌的人,如今在買東西前,已經開始很謹慎地考慮商品的價格,并且把自己的錢花在那些物美價廉的東西上。那些連鎖超市生意好并吸引眾多顧客的原因,就是向消費者提供了很多使用自己品牌,以及沒有什么大品牌的低價商品。曾經,有很多人崇尚買品牌商品,而不愿意去買那些廉價的東西�，F在,低價商品占據了他們購物籃中很大的一部分。這不僅僅是一種判斷力,還是一股冷風,吹過那些奢侈品牌和昂貴的體育用品區(qū),讓賣家認識到,商品的價格需要合理――如果他們想分享市場和在商場中立足的話。名牌商品或許更注重細節(jié),樣式更新穎,質量更高一些,但是價格卻高的離譜。消費者要逐漸認識到,他們的要求在商品價格制定上,起到非常關鍵和重要的作用。
　　第七,做一個在各方面都有消費觀念的消費者。我們并不只是在商店和飯店消費的消費者。當我們把孩子送到學校上學時,我們是消費者:孩子們接受的教育,就是我們所買的商品,因此也要有市場化的質量。當我們去醫(yī)院治病時,我們也是消費者:我們在醫(yī)院接受的治療,醫(yī)生和護士的態(tài)度,都是我們所買的商品,也要有市場化的質量――這適用于任何相似的環(huán)境。如果我們在生活中任何方面都考慮到以上的因素,那么,不僅消費將會變成一件快樂的事,而且我們的社會,不管在什么地方,都會變得更好,更人性化。
　　如果我們要做消費者,就讓我們努力做一個好的消費者,在我們的社會里快樂地消費。
　　
　　Be a Good Consumer
　　Companies of all kinds all over the world and governments of every political hue seem to have one main purpose in mind: to rescue the world from the economic crisis by encouraging all of us to consume more. Perhaps the time has come then for us to consider the idea of consumption and how we can be better consumers. It is my belief that by being better consumers we can actually have a beneficial effect on our own society. Here are my simple rules.
　　Be a careful consumer. This means we never ever buy any article without checking to see if it is safe for use. We don’t blindly accept the sales assistant’s reassurances or the smile on the face of a sports star on TV. We want to see a label saying that this article meets a certain standard and that this standard has been carefully set and monitored by some responsible national agency. This applies to everything ? clothes, toys, food and above all medicine. If the majority of consumers adopt this “don’t tell me, show me” attitude, then the producers would realise how essential it is to improve their safety standards and how the cost of this cannot simply be passed on to the customers. It would be a question of if it’s not safe nobody is going to buy it and you will go out of business very quickly. Improving goods for home consumers would make it far easier for producers world-wide to meet the strict standards which are set by, for example, the European Union.
　　Be a choosy consumer. When we are poor we are always picky. Every penny has cost us a lot of sweat so we want value for money. This is the attitude we should maintain as we find we have a little more to spend. The more expensive an item is the more carefully we should examine it for faults. If somebody wants twice the price for this T-shirt that he does for the other one, we have always to ask ourselves, “Is it really twice as good?” If it’s only a little better, then why waste our money? If all consumers adopted this attitude, the quality of all goods would inevitably improve in a short space of time. Marketing all over the world is always a balance between quality and price. As consumers become more sophisticated the quality has to improve to keep the price the same and has to improve dramatically to justify higher prices. Improving the quality of products for domestic consumption improves competitiveness in global markets even more.
　　Be an awkward consumer. As consumers we should always be asking “why?” Why can’t we get this in different colours? Why can’t we get a better range of sizes? Why does this have to be an optional extra and not part of the basic package? If enough consumers ask such questions the message will eventually filter back to the suppliers. There is no reason why we should accept the producers’ limitations. If they really believe that the customer is God, then they will do something about it. If they don’t their market share will speedily pass to a more responsive firm.
　　Be a complaining consumer. If something is wrong or gives less satisfaction than you expected ? complain, don’t complain to the salesgirl; ask to see the manager. If every dissatisfied customer complained, there would be far more satisfied customers. In some countries, including China, there is insufficient protection for consumers against goods that are faulty or below standard, but every consumer has a tongue and they should use it effectively. Managers do not like to be confronted by an irate customer and their embarrassment will pass up the line. This doesn’t just mean complaining about the quality of your food in a restaurant (though we should always do that if we are unhappy) but also objecting to dirty toilet facilities or sloppy service. These things will never improve if people don’t complain. The consumer army is at war on behalf of all consumers, and complaining is our best weapon.
　　Be an attentive consumer. Things are always changing and the market-place is no different. Yesterday’s bargain becomes today’s over-priced out-of-date white elephant. By staying alert to changes in supply we encourage improvement and innovation. A market economy depends on creativity as much as anything else. Consumers don’t want to buy old stock; they want to enjoy the benefits of research and development as much as anyone else. The prices charged should reflect this. Let’s take mobile phones as an example. Not all customers want every conceivable feature in their phone, but conversely if they are satisfied with last month’s model they don’t expect still to pay last month’s price. A little market research can save us a great deal of money.
　　Be a consumer who doesn’t shop by brands. One of the most striking features of the recent economic recession in many countries is that consumers have woken up to the fact that frequently famous brands are poor value for money. Shoppers who previously only looked at the name on the label are now considering the cost very carefully and are spending their money on low-cost decent-quality basic goods instead. The supermarket chains which are benefiting most and attracting the highest number of customers are those which have a large selection of own-brand or no-brand goods at basement prices. At one time many customers were too high-minded to but such goods but now they are the main items in their shopping baskets. This is not only common sense but has let a cold breeze of reality blow through the luxury and sporting goods sectors where the sellers now realise that prices need to be a good deal less crazy if they are not only to share the market but to stay in business at all. Famous brands may still be n some respects better, more innovative, higher quality but the price differential is outrageous and consumers are gradually realising that their demand is a crucial factor in the setting of these prices.
　　Be a consumer in everything you do. We are not just consumers when we are in a shop or restaurant buying things. We are consumers when we send our children to school: the education they are receiving is a commodity for which we are paying; it should be of marketable quality. We are consumers when we go to the hospital; the medical care we receive and the attention we get from the doctors and nurses is a commodity for which we are paying; it should be of marketable quality. All the rules above apply to these and similar situations. If as consumers we try to apply then in all areas of our life, there is great hope that not only will our consumption be a happier thing but that our society, wherever it may be, will be a better and more humane society.
　　If we are to be consumers let’s all try hard to be good consumers and make our consumer society one in which it is a pleasure for us all to live.

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